Israel braces for critical war report

Israel's government and military are expected to face a new round of criticism today when a long-delayed report into their handling of the war in Lebanon is published.

Nine months ago the Winograd commission, a government-appointed inquiry, published a damning first report into Israel's conduct in the first days of the 2006 war and held the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, responsible for "very serious failings". The second and final report, which was due last summer, comes out today and will cover the rest of the 34-day war. It will look at the role of the Israel Defence Force, political decisions and the relations between the cabinet and the generals.

Most public attention will centre on the final 60 hours of the war, in which 33 Israeli soldiers were killed during a final offensive into southern Lebanon even as a UN ceasefire was being drawn up.

Although Olmert is likely to take fresh criticism, he is not expected to resign, though he may face calls for elections to be brought forward. The military chief of staff at the time, General Dan Halutz, has already quit. More than 1,000 Lebanese and 158 Israelis were killed in the war.